


Reunion, Rewritten

by Astronomic



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 13:45:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12389304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astronomic/pseuds/Astronomic
Summary: Natsu returns after a year a realizes exactly what he left behind.





	Reunion, Rewritten

**Author's Note:**

> Like the title suggests, this is their reunion, but rewritten in a more Nalu-esque way.

A lot happened in a year. A lot that Natsu had missed out on. It wasn’t his intention to neglect the events of the world or the lives of his friends, but when he saw Lucy for the first time in a year, he realized something had changed. Something beyond physical appearance. Her hair had gotten longer and her face had matured, but there was something behind her eyes that changed too. Events of an entire year that Natsu had not seen with her. It was then, standing in the melting arena, that he realized how much he’d missed her.

But throughout lunch and walking through Crocus, there was a strange air around Lucy. She couldn’t meet his gaze. And he came to realize that something behind her eyes was sadness. When he learned about the guild, the sadness turned to anger as she cut him down with only her voice. Lucy was right. He had left without a word, and had been naïve enough to expect nothing to change in his absence. He of all people should know how quickly the tides can turn.

-

The thin blanket covering his torso was a formality more than anything. Lucy knew Natsu didn’t need a blanket to keep warm, but when she set up the couch for him to sleep on, she pushed the pink bundle into his arm insistently. Natsu frowned at the ceiling, where he had been staring for the past few hours.

“Happy. The guild is really… gone?” he spoke quietly, half-unsure if the blue cat was even awake.

“Unbelievable, isn’t it?” Came Happy’s sleepy reply. Natsu may have said more, but the Exceed had already fallen back asleep.

Natsu bit the inside of his cheek, his eyebrows furrowing even more. Fairy Tail had disbanded, and he hadn’t even been there to contest it. He was caught between anger and guilt; unsure if the guild had betrayed him, or if he had betrayed the guild. He let out a heavy sigh, trying to relieve the pressure from his chest.

Through the quiet, his sensitive ears picked up a floorboard creak and the faint rustle of fabric. Natsu snapped his neck towards the sound, just as Lucy’s face appeared from behind the pink curtain that acted as her bedroom door. Their eyes met for the first time since the arena. Lucy visibly froze at being caught - she clearly hadn’t expected him to still be awake.

Natsu could only hold her gaze. Words died on his tongue, but he wasn’t sure if saying anything would help either way.

“I…” Her voice was strained as she tried to hold back the tears welling in her eyes. “I just… wanted to make sure you were actually here.”

Natsu’s heart dropped through the floor. He could go back and forth on whether Fairy Tail let him down or vice versa, but it was indisputable that he had abandoned Lucy. That measly letter was the coward’s way out, but Natsu had rationalized to himself that Lucy was strong and that she would be able to handle it. However, just because she could, didn’t mean he had the right to put her through that.

Lucy’s hand gripped the curtain, her teeth grit as she tried to hold back the tears that were already falling. “I woke up and for a second I-I thought it was a dream so I just… I just had to check.” She spoke between sobs and cast her gaze to the floor, embarrassed.

Natsu found his body moving on its own. Up from the couch and straight towards her. He swallowed hard, his own throat tight as he pulled her towards him, one arm around her waist while the other cradled the back of her head. Lucy didn’t resist him, her forehead pressed to his collarbone and her hands curled up against his bare chest. Though she was crying, some kind of relief spread through him. To have her in his arms again, made him realize for a second time how much he missed her.

“I would have let you go,” Lucy coughed through a sob, “I wouldn’t have tried to stop you from leaving, so why didn’t you just tell me? Why didn’t you let me know in person instead of leaving a stupid note? How could you do that, Natsu?” She weakly hit her fist against his chest, giving in to the tears once more. He just stood there with his eyes closed, taking it all.

He wished she’d hit him harder, and scream at him more. He deserved her anger and bitterness, but she wound her arms around his neck to hold him closer instead.

Lucy sniffed and exhaled a shaky breath, calming herself down. Her hand slid up the nape of his neck and into his hair, fingers knotting in his pink locks. A small smile tugged up the corner of his lips despite his best effort. She always had the most soothing touch.

“You aren’t the only one who lost something,” Lucy whispered against his chest. “I lost Michelle, my dad, and Aquarius in the same year, but I thought that if I had the guild and I had  _ you _ then I’d be okay. But then you were gone, and I know losing Igneel was too much for you, but I couldn’t help but think how selfish you were being.”

Lucy raised her head to look at him and Natsu’s breath caught in his chest. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were stained with tears, but the sadness behind her eyes was gone. The warmth had returned, and she was looking at him, really  _ seeing _ him, as if she was drinking in his face. “I hated you for a while after you left, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was so unfair to you. I know what it’s like to lose a parent and it was selfish of me to think so lowly of you.”

Natsu’s hand fell from her head to her cheek, and brushed the tear streaks from her face. He opened his mouth to respond but still couldn’t say anything. What could he say? ‘ _ I’m sorry _ ’? He was in no place to apologize. Everything she had said was true. When Natsu left he didn’t take anyone else into consideration. Lucy had lost so much, and still she’d been there every step of the way.

How was that fair?

Lucy’s fingers threaded through his hair, playing with the tips and combing through the roots, “I missed you, Natsu.”

Longing joined the warmth behind her eyes and Natsu couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He closed the space between them, pressing his lips to hers. In his year of absence, there was nothing he missed more than kissing her. Every other night he’d stare up at the stars and think about their midnight rendezvous under her pink comforter. It was a secret even Happy didn’t know about. Often he fantasized about sneaking back to Magnolia in the middle of the night just to be with her again. Perhaps he should have.

Lucy tightened her grip in his hair and pushed herself up on her tippy toes. She had no hesitation in kissing him back, even smiling when he dropped his hand from her face to wrap both arms around her waist.

Something squeezed in Natsu’s chest when his own longing flushed through his veins. He didn’t realize until now how much he had been holding back since he first saw her. How his fingers ached to touch her again. Her other hand glided from his neck and down his chest, leaving trails of electricity in their wake and stealing the breath from his lungs.

Natsu pushed her against the doorframe, a short huff coming from her lips. The fingers in his hair migrated to his face, cupping his jaw line and grazing his cheekbone. So this wasn’t the crazy tear-our-clothes-off-and-go-wild make out he had been fantasizing about, but this was much better. Slow, passionate, gripping each other like they might be separated again. Natsu’s yearning for her was so overwhelming, he could have cried himself.

Lucy pulled away first, foreheads pressed together. Her eyes roamed over his face, but he kept his eyes closed, their breathing heavy. He heard her laugh, a little breathless, and she tilted his chin up to press a chaste kiss to his lips. He kissed her cheek, and then her neck, and pressed his forehead to her shoulder. She invaded his senses once again, a unique comfort he craved for an entire damn year.

“Lucy.” Just as his voice finally found him, it trailed off again. All he could say was her name. All that was in his mind was her. Just as it’s always been.

She laughed again, quietly, as to not wake Happy who was still asleep on a pillow in the living room. This was a side to him that only she has seen. Soft, careful, needy. Someone who needed to be held, and cared for, and loved.

“Hey, Natsu,” Lucy hummed as she gently nudged him. He leaned away from her, gazing down at her face as her hands passed over his shoulders and down his arms. “It’s been a while hasn’t it?”

His brow furrowed, not understanding what she meant. Her fingers threaded through his, and she bit her bottom lip and smiled up at him. She took a step backwards into her bedroom, tugging his hands gently for him to follow. His own smile came to mirror hers. In her brown eyes, warmth and longing gave way to a suggestive look that sent his heart racing. Natsu allowed himself to be led into her bedroom, heat flaring up in his chest. Whether or not this was a good idea, Natsu wasn’t going to resist her. Mostly because he wanted it too, but also because he was willing to do anything and everything to ensure the sadness would never appear behind her eyes again.

-

In the depths of Crocus, the brass gong of a church bell rang out three times, echoing across the kingdom capital. Natsu watched the view from Lucy’s bedroom window, still unable to sleep. Somehow in the Blooming Capital, City of Light and Flowers, the moon was still the brightest light in the night sky.

Lucy was sleeping soundly on top of him, small breaths puffing out across his chest. Her comforter was tangled up with their legs, and the moonlight spilling in was enough to illuminate the slim muscles of her back. Natsu’s fingers brushed delicately along her smooth skin, every so often coming across a small scar. He traced their length, wondering which battle was etched in her skin. Though she wasn’t a physical fighter like him, Lucy had her fair share of injuries. The thought caused a bitter taste in his mouth. He couldn’t bear to see Lucy hurt. Natsu always went out of his way to make sure she was safe, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t always protect her.

A stray cat streaked through the empty street just as a familiar scent suddenly invaded his senses. Natsu’s head whipped from the window to the foot of Lucy’s bed at the same time her roaming Celestial Spirit, Loke, made his presence known.

“Well well,” the Spirit said, moonlight glinting off his glasses, “Isn’t this a sight.”

Natsu grit his teeth and yanked the duvet up to Lucy’s shoulders to shield her naked body from Loke’s eyes.

“All those rumours going around, who would have thought you two were actually dating?”

“We’re not dating,” Natsu spat, “And what we do is none of your business.”

Loke laughed humorlessly. “That’s true. Your private affairs between the sheets are none of my concern. What my concern  _ is _ , however, is Lucy’s well-being.”

Natsu’s irritated scowl morphed to confusion. Lucy’s well-being? He knew her Spirits were as protective over her as he was, so why did Loke travel from the Celestial World at three in the morning to tell him this? “What about it?” he asked warily, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

Instead of responding, Loke merely tsked and adjusted his red tie. Natsu didn’t know why, it was always perfectly in place. “You know, it’s funny Natsu,” Loke began, “But after the dragons came through the Eclipse portal there’s a large gap in my memory. I feel like I missed something but I can’t ever seem to place it. What I do get, though, are these weird… flashes from time to time. Almost like dreams. And it’s mostly you running around on fire and screaming something about making Lucy cry. Does this make sense to you?”

Natsu didn’t respond.

“Regardless of what it is, I know it’s a memory because that’s what you do. You charge in head first if someone hurts Lucy, and on behalf of all her Spirits, we’re very grateful she had you looking over her.”

Natsu’s fists balled up in the fabric of the comforter. He didn’t like Loke’s use of past-tense, and he had an idea of where this lecture was going.

“But,” Loke’s tone took a dramatic shift, chilling the very air around them. “For someone who’ll battle armies over her tears, you sure made Lucy cry a hell of a lot when you abandoned her.”

“I didn’t abandon-”

“Yes you  _ did _ , Natsu!” Loke pointed an accusatory finger at him. His hand was shaking. “You have no right to say anything about what you did to her. You weren’t the one who found her crying in the street. You weren’t the one to hear about how lonely she was. You weren’t the one who watched her spend months obsessing over that!” Loke’s hand cut through the air as he gestured to Lucy’s wall across the room.

Natsu, still reeling from the verbal attack, followed Loke’s motion. Any argument he had been working up to fire back at Loke died on his tongue. Lucy’s wall was covered in photos and notes and newspaper clippings with different coloured strings connecting separate instances. And on the far right, removed from everybody else, was a slip of paper with his name on it and nothing underneath.

“‘I have to save Lucy.’ ‘You made Lucy cry.’ ‘Where’s Lucy?’ Well where were  _ you _ , Natsu?” Loke hands worried over fixing his blazer that needed no adjusting. “And when she finally started to get over you, I could relax again. I knew she’d be okay. But then you come back, waltzing in like your actions have no consequences, and I find her back in your arms again! After watching over her for a year, I can’t take this lying down.”

Loke exhaled heavily, and Natsu’s arms tightened around Lucy, as if he were scared the Spirit would try to take her away from him.

“I’ve always respected you, Natsu. And I’ve always appreciated how you protect Lucy when we can’t. But if you hurt her like that again, I swear I might just kill you.”

The threat sucked all the air from the room. And for a second time that night, Natsu was left speechless. Tension built in the air as the two stared each other down, some kind of escalation teetering on the edge until Lucy stirred in Natsu’s arms, drawing both mens’ attention.

Lucy blinked slowly, her bleary eyes barely registering Loke through her half-sleep haze. She pouted, almost comically, and Natsu had to bite back a laugh. She was cute without even trying.

“Is Loke bothering you, Natsu?” Sleep slurred Lucy’s speech, her words barely comprehensive. She shifted her position, her arms reaching up to wind around his neck. He would have melted at the touch, were it not for Loke glaring balefully down at him.

“No,” Natsu whispered. And it wasn’t a lie. Loke wasn’t bothering him, he’d slapped Natsu across the face with a truth he’d been avoiding. Natsu could beat all the villains in the world, but none of it meant anything if he hurt Lucy more than any demon or dark guild ever could. Lucy’s whole life was comprised of people leaving her - and he had added himself to that list.

Lucy merely hummed, already slipping away again. “Loke, forced gate closure.” She barely articulated the words before she fell back asleep.

The words had no effect, of course, since Loke came of his own volition. The Spirit sighed, all tension leaving his body. “You should get some sleep, you must be tired.”

The kind words were strange after the berating he’d received. Natsu watched him closely unsure how to respond.

“That’s all I wanted to say. I’ll be watching you closely.” Loke’s form shimmered, and his body dissolved into sparkling light, his last words echoing in the room, “Take care of her.”

There was a lot to think about and Natsu thought he couldn’t possibly sleep now, but as soon as Loke vanished, exhaustion hit him like a sack of bricks. HIs fingers tangled in Lucy’s hair as his eyelids closed on their own. Tomorrow he’d properly digest what Loke told him; but for now Natsu made a promise that he’d never leave Lucy again.

They’d be together forever from here on out.


End file.
